Keldary of Yamani or Masbolle?
by Ortholeine
Summary: Keladry of Mindelan never wanted to become a knight, and so she stayed in the Yamani Islands, best friends with Yuki and "Cricket" or Shinko, as we know her. What happens when she is a part of the permanent escort for the princess and meets a certain blue-eyed sergant? This originally sokkr-rox's, and they have given me permission to continue this. R & R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there! So I love kel, and most certainly K/D, and when I saw the update date and current date I gained permission to continue this fanfic! This was first called Time Will Change but is now under the current title. Thanks to sokkr-rox, whose this was originally. I will post the same average size of chapters as they did, starting with the chapter already put out then some of my own. If you have any ideas or want to help with what you think sould happen, don't be afraid to review or PM me.**

"_Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Ilane of Mindelan asked her daughter._

_"Yes, Mother, I'm sure. I would like to complete my training as an imperial lady of the Emperor's Court!"_

_"I understand," Ilane replied, "I just don't want to leave you."_

_"It's alright, mother, I will train hard, and I will make you proud!"_

_"I know you will, my dear," Keladry's mother sighed. "I am more worried about myself than I am about you."_

_"Have a good voyage! Stay safe!" Oh, dear Mother Goddess, make sure they stay safe._

That had been over a year ago. Now Keladry of Mindelan sat among the other imperial ladies and meditated. She often had flashbacks during these times. After all, the whole purpose of meditating was to reflect upon your life, and the choices you made. Kel often wondered what her life would have been like if she had gone back to Tortall with her parents when she was ten.

Kel didn't have very many friends, but those she had loved her very much. She wondered if she would have had great friends in Tortall, or if they would have rejected her as these people used to. She had been a very expressive child, which made her an outcast among the Yamani people, who always hid their emotions behind masks.

When Kel had first come to the Islands when she was but six years old, she had contented herself with calling them names, such as 'Lump' and 'Cow' because they expressed their feelings so little. Kel herself had been an outcast, for her face could be read like an open book.

The Yamanis rejected her, yet she soon learned to school her features into calmness. She always imagined a calm, cool lake where no wind blew. This was how she imagined herself, when she felt like she would break down. She often felt this way, as if a dam inside her would break down and wash all of her control away.

When foreigners came, they thought that the Yamanis felt nothing, as they could not see it. Little did they know, the Yamanis usually felt more, because it was all bottled up inside, and had no way to get out, unless you let it.

Before her parents left, Kel would often cry in the safety of their rooms, as her parents understood. They felt that no child should have to feel rejected and closed all of the time, though they were forcing it on their own child.

After they left, Kel searched for ways in which she could let everything out without anyone knowing. She would try and cry in her room, but it didn't hold the same level of comfort as it did with her parents. There was also a chance of being heard. In her parents' suite, they were left relatively alone, as they were very important to the emperor. Keladry, meanwhile, had no reason to be left alone, and was therefore constantly bothered by her friends and neighbors.

A constant visitor to her rooms was Shinko, or Cricket, and Yuki. A few years after her parents had returned to Tortall, Kel had discovered that Cricket was in fact a second princess! This had come as quite a shock, as Shinko had been her childhood friend.

_Kel had first met Cricket in a market place when she was but seven years old. She had been hiding behind her mother's skirts, as she did often when out in public. Many commoners would stop what they were doing and watch this foreigner of the Emperor's Court._

_There was, however, one girl who just kept on playing. She was running around holding a string, which she was waving behind her. A short while after she had run through, a little dog followed her. He was quite small, and yipped with joy as it chased the colorful string. The girl frequently glanced back at the dog as she made her way, as if assuring herself that he was still following. During one of these periods, before she could turn around, she ran straight into Ilane._

_"Ouf!" the girl cried out as she ran head on into Ilane. She tried to keep from bursting into tears. "I'm awfully sorry, ma'am. I didna mean to crash!"_

_"Oh," Ilane couldn't help but be sympathetic on this poor street urchin, "that's alright."_

_"But I shoulda been watching where I was going, ma'am, the blame's all mine."_

_"No, no," Ilane tried to keep the pity from her face in front of the crowd, "Just run along and try and stay out of the way."_

_"Thank you very much, ma'am, I'll try and return the favor someday." And with that, the girl was off, her little dog following the string._

_It was at this moment that Kel knew that if she ever came across this girl again, she would try and be friends._

Though Shinko was normally quiet and serene, this was only when she was in public. When she was with her friends, or masquerading as a commoner on the street, she was very energetic and hyper. Though it would not appear that she was anything but indifferent, those close to her could always tell when she was excited or sad.

_"Kel, is there a boy that you like?" This was often a question that Shinko would ask when the conversation got dull. Kel would always put up a fight, and deny any feelings. One thing that Shinko was known for was for stirring up and getting excited by the smallest bit of gossip. The same went for Yuki, as long as it concerned boys._

_"No!" Kel protested, all the while starting to blush a faint pink._

_"Kel, is there a boy that you love?" Yuki threw in almost as an afterthought._

_"There is most definitely not, and even if there was I wouldn't tell you!" Kel was starting to become so flustered that she pulled out her fan to keep them from probing further._

_"Come on, Kel! There's nothing to talk about!" The second princess was never one to laze about. Currently she was trying very hard not to jump up and down at the prospect of finally getting something out of the steel walls of Keladry of Mindelan._

_"We know you're hiding something!" Yuki's eyes were dancing. "Are you sure you don't want to tell us? You know we'll get it out of you eventually!"_

_"You guys never do give up, do you?" Kel looked like she was about to faint from embarrassment "Fine, I'll tell!"_

_"Ooh! Finally, Kel gives me something to work with!" Though the Emperor frowned upon it, Shinko often embroidered the dresses that she ordered from the seamstress, rather than get someone else to do it. Now that she would know the man that Kel wanted to draw the attention of, she could embroider Kel's dresses with the things that that specific man was known to like._

_All right, here goes, Kel. "Though you may not believe me, as it seems very implausible and it has not been very long, I am currently courting Shang."_

_"Shang!" Yuki was astonished. Though she had always had high hopes for her friend, Shang was one of the most desirable men in the Emperor's Court. "When are you going to make this public?"_

_"I'm not sure. We are taking it slow and do not want to alert people yet. We will make ourselves known when we feel we are ready."_

_"I'm proud of you Kel!" Yuki was indeed very happy for her friend, though slightly fearful. There were many notorious men in Court, yet there were a few that none were sure about._

Suddenly the gong sounded, signaling the end of the meditation period. Kel was glad it had rung when it had. The rest of that memory was too painful to go through a second time.


	2. Chapter 2

Kel walked slowly down to a clearing that she had discovered a couple months back. It was one of the places where she could let go and just be herself, without hiding all of the time.

She slowly drew out her shukusen, and practiced her throwing technique. Although she was already considered one of the best at shukusen throwing among the imperial ladies, Kel always wanted to get better. It was not that she minded not being the best, but she would always strive to improve on her own record.

After practicing for an hour, Kel made her way back to her rooms. Inside, she found Yuki sitting on a chair in the corner. It was one of the few pieces of furniture in the room. Yuki was always trying to convince Kel that even though most Yamanis didn't put much in their rooms, the only people that came in her's were Kel, Shinko and Yuki. Sadly, Kel did not agree.

Too many people could find out about her by looking at her rooms. This was why the only things in it were a chair (which Yuki was currently in), a table for her Yamani lucky cats, a mat for sleeping and a basin for washing. She could have added a fireplace, but was convinced that if her training teachers could sit in the rain for hours on end, she could endure the cold. Sometimes she would regret this, at night when it was near Midwinter.

Whenever she got too cold, she would find her way to Yuki's rooms, as she was not as Yamani dedicated as Kel. Sometimes she would fight through a blizzard just to make it safely.

Yuki looked up when Kel entered the chamber, and gently placed a book down on the table, careful to avoid knocking anything down.

"Kel," she began, "You know that the Emperor must plan a new engagement with the Tortallan prince, because of the other princess falling ill?"

"Yes, I do know that." Kel was beginning to wonder what this had to do with her. Yuki wasn't a hidden princess in disguise, was she?

"Well," Yuki appraised Kel's expression, which betrayed her worry, no matter her Yamani training, "The Emperor has decided to send Shinko."

Kel felt that she would faint from shock. Shinko was going to be forced into an arranged marriage? She had always hated the idea, and Kel wondered how this was going over with her friend. It dawned on her that the Emperor must really want this marriage to work, as he was sending a second rank princess, instead of a fourth or fifth rank princess.

Yuki watched her friend through the silent battle, and as she was very good at seeing people's emotions, she watched Kel go through shock, surprise, disbelief and finally anger, where it stayed.

"He can't do this!" Kel raged, "He can't force Shinko into this marriage! I think she would rather die! Is she running away? Are we helping her run away? Where are we going to live?"

As Kel paused to take a breath, Yuki stopped her from going any farther as she started to explain. "Shinko is not running away, we are not helping her run away, and we are going to live in Tortall."

"Wait!" Kel's voice was soft now as she though this over. "You mean that Shinko is going to go along with this plan?"

"Yes, she is."

"What are we going to do? You said _we _are going to live in Tortall? Why would _we _go anywhere?" If possible, Kel was even more confused now than she was before.

"We are going to go with her as her escorts, and we are going to stay in Tortall with her."

"How did Shinko get the Emperor to agree to that?"

Yuki knew this was going to be harder to explain to Kel than it had been to her family. This was one of the reasons that she had put it off until now.

"Shinko reasoned with him, and told him that it might be easier for her to get adjusted if she had a few people that she knew. So, we will be part of her escorting party, but when all of the other escorts leave to come back here, we will stay to help her get adjusted. And if anything comes up, we can also help to defend Shinko because we have trained with our shukusens and our glaives. Speaking of which, want to go for glaive practice now before training? That way we will have an excuse not to do Darichi's warm-ups!" Yuki decided to try and change the subject, as it would take hours to explain everything to Kel, and she would just keep asking questions.

"We're going to have to do the warm-up anyways." Kel mumbled as she reached solemnly for her glaive.

Although Kel was one of the best shukusen users, Yuki was _the_ best glaive user, apart from Darichi, their training master, herself. Kel had trouble just defending herself, much less actually trying to hit Yuki. All she could see of her friend's weapon was a constant blur as she turned it, spun it and lunged. Kel ended up on the ground, Yuki's glaive's sharp blade just barely touching the base of her throat.

"All better!" Yuki called out as she walked away, slowing down slightly for Kel to catch up.

"Not fair, you have an extra six years practicing!" Kel said as an excuse for her defeat.

"Yes, but during those six years, I hadn't been allowed to touch a glaive, much less try and use one!" Yuki retorted. "Now go get ready, you wouldn't want to be late for evening training!" Yuki almost waltzed down the hall. Not only had she avoided the subject of Shinko for an hour and a half, but she had also had fun beating Kel. Again. Sometimes she wished she could fight against someone that was a challenge.

Kel was okay with the glaive, but her biggest advantage was her endurance. If she could last long enough that she could wear out her opponent, she had a better advantage. When people got desperate, they would try and do low cuts. Since she was taller, people thought that she might have trouble reaching down to defend herself lower. However, Kel was always ready for this, as their training master had beaten her multiple times with this trick, until Kel had gotten tired of it and learned to defend herself better.

While she was thinking, Kel hurried to her room to get ready for training. As she had suspected, Darichi made them do the warm-up, even after they explained that they had already trained. To make sure that everyone had warmed up properly, he assigned partners to do practice matches.

After two hours of training, Kel was too tired to attend supper, so she went straight to her rooms. She filled up the washing basin, and soaked in the water until it was cold. She then went straight to her bed, where she fell asleep almost instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

Kel had been hoping for a peaceful sleep with no dreams whatsoever after all her work. Sadly, she got no such luck. Falling asleep instantly, as soon as she closed her eyes she was assaulted by pictures she would rather not see.

_Suddenly the gong sounded, signaling the end of the meditation period. Kel was glad it had rung when it had. The rest of that memory was too painful to go through a second time. _Too bad for Kel, she would have to.

_Kel walked down the passageway toward the main hall, where she was to eat dinner. Her head was full of thoughts of Shang._

_One of the only things she knew about him was that he was named after the famed Shang warriors, as he had been born with the mark of Shang – a small birthmark of an animal on his right shoulder._

_Shang's birthmark was one of an eagle. This symbolized that if he was chosen by to try for Shang, and he survived the long and hard training, he would be the eagle. _

_Currently he was training with the Shang Phoenix, who was staying at the palace for the time being. When the time came for her to move on, Shang would go with her, to follow the Phoenix wherever she went._

_Entering the dining hall, Kel looked around until she spotted her courtier. She made her way over to the table after retrieving her meal, and sat next to Shang._

_Her leg rested lightly against his, and he reached over to gently squeeze her hand. Kel squeezed it back, hiding her joy at finally being with someone. She didn't hide it solely for the reason that Yamanis 'had no emotions', but also because their relationship was not yet public – except to Shinko and Yuki._

_Kel had heard from her friends what it felt like to be connected to someone on an emotional level, as more than friends. She had never before believed that you could feel very warm and tingly, but at the same time as if water was being washed over you. Now she did._

_It just felt _right _being with Shang, as if it was meant to be. She often wondered what would happen to them when he had to leave with the Phoenix._

_She enjoyed her dinner, partially because the whole time, she was sitting close to Shang, and feeling his presence next to her. If it weren't for that, she would have been bored to tears, as she was not particularly interested in the conversation the others were holding._

_During irregular intervals, Kel would put in a sentence or two, to make it seem as if she were paying attention and listening. If someone had asked her, she would have had no idea what was happening. All of her concentration was on the feeling of Shang so close to her. _

_That is exactly what happened. Yuki had noticed her friend's distracted look and her gaze then turned to the gap – or lack of – between Kel and Shang. She decided to be cruel and try to bring their relationship into the open._

_"Kel," Yuki asked innocently, "what do you think?"_

_When Kel's eyes lost their blank look, she was slightly disoriented; Shang was still distracting her by lightly tickling her palm with his fingertips. "What?" She had lost track of the conversation, and was now trying to refocus._

_"Oh, you know," Shinko said mischievously, catching onto Yuki's train of thought, "what do you think about it?"_

_"About what? Oh…" She understood where they were coming from now. She glared at Yuki – without showing any emotion to anyone else. Yuki just looked back, slightly lifting her eyebrows, which a foreigner would not have noticed. Sadly, everybody at the table turned to look at Kel._

_While they were all staring at her, Kel started glaring at both of her friends, who had by now taken out their fans to hide their laughter._

_Kel decided to follow their example, taking out her own fan to hide her anger and confusion. "I'm sorry, but I had lost track of the conversation, care to remind me?"_

_"Oh, yes," Shinko had decided it was her turn to tease Kel, "we were just discussing the possible men that are currently at court."_

_"And as all three of us are currently single…"_

_"We thought that maybe we could set you up!"_

_Kel thought she might die of embarrassment. Now all of them would think that she was incapable of getting her own men, she needed her friends to match her up. Kel, who had softened her glare before, put it back up. "Of course, but shouldn't we get one for you first? After all, you haven't had one in how long?"_

_"And how long has it been since you have had one, might I ask?" They really did seem in a 'time-to-torture-Kel mood._

_"That is a personal question that I would rather not answer."_

_"Meaning…"_

_"That Kel has a man that she's not telling us about!" They also seemed to be in the mood to finish each other's sentences._

_"Maybe, and maybe not, but that is none of your business!" With that, Kel all but stalked out of the hall and to her rooms, not bothering to wait when she heard footsteps follow her out._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been so long! A friend of mine died over Thanksgiving week, and I was kinda traumatized-she was in college and it was car accident and since I'm 15 and just learning how to drive...well, you can guess. Anyway, I just want to say thank you to those of you who have already favorited/followed this—I find it hard to say but I can't guarantee a steady update rate but I will do my best. A few changes—Kel still wanted to become a knight but she thought that Tortall knights trained like Yamani ones and decided to take the weapon studies for Yaman court ladies to the next level. She could fight like a novice Shang warrior and is the best at the Yamani court at the glaive and shukusen. Enjoy!**

_The footsteps behind her sped up and Keladry attempted to move faster in the restricting kimono. She rounded a corner and as she walked down the hallway a warm and calloused hand grasped her wrist and pulled the tall woman into one of the few alcoves provided by the papers walls. Keladry would have struggled but she smelt the familiar scent of jade and green tea that was Shang. Heart pounding, the woman looked down at her feet covered by silk slippers—a gift from Yuki. Another warm, calloused, and gentle went under her chin and lifted her face._

_Kel's hazel eyes met Shang's chocolate brown eyes. They were warm, like his hands, and she tried not to melt into them. Her "Yamani Mask" was always on, and this occasion was no different. Shang's mask, however, broke and a timid smile grew on his face. Keladry slowly returned the smile and his hand dropped. They walked down the hallway: this time hand in hand and at a leisurely pace. Keladry's heart was leaping in excitement and they walked to a small private garden. Shang took a deep breath and spoke._

_"Keladry-chan, I must tell you something." Kel was surprised but nodded her consent. Unbeknownst to her, Yuki and Shinko were following and overheard the entire conversation. Kel sat on a stone bench. A sense of falling over took her and—_

Kel sat up with a gasp. Her night clothing was soaked with sweat. She sighed and fell back onto her pillows. The dream-or nightmare-always ended there. The gist of what followed was Shang ending their budding relationship by saying that he didn't feel the fire he had at first, and his training would get in the way. Kel had cried for the first time since coming to the Yamani Islands that day, comforted as much as possible by Yuki and Shinko.

Keladry looked at her window, and saw it wasn't even fake dawn yet. She sighed, turned over under the covers, and attempted to fall back to sleep. The rest of body and mind eluded her. Tears leaked from her face and Kel sat up again. She watched the dark outside her window unmoving. In a few minutes a shadow slipped out of her rooms and headed towards her clearing. Once there she practiced throwing her shukusen . Unbeknownst to the heart broken 17 year old she was being watched by the cause of her heart break. Shang sighed and turned to walk off, regretting the decision he had had to make to ensure her happiness, if not his own.

* * *

2 weeks later Keladry was on a ship with Shinkokami and Yukimi on their way to Tortall. When Port Legann was spotted, Kel was below deck helping Shinko into a complex kimono for the occasion. It had a simple cream under wrap: it was the actual outer kimono that was the complex part. Its multiple layers with many embellishes gave it a weight and stiffness that meant Cricket would barely be able to move past walking and sitting. It was greens and oranges with reeds and various water plants around the base. The obi was a pale blue that went well with reeds on it to match. Her face paint was not the entire pound of make-up but definitely a few ounces around the eyes.

Once the princess was done Yuki and the servants turned to Kel with a predatory look in their eyes. She backed up to the door, hands raised and shaking her head. Yuki's grin of triumph slowly went away as Keladry spoke.

"I'm not wearing make-up or a kimono. I will be wearing my own costume courtesy of His Imperialness—as your guard and companion at the same time I have my own outfit." The servants turned to Yuki. She sighed in defeat and waved them away. A sigh of relief escaped Kel. She ushered Shinko and Yuki to the other side of the dressing screen. Kel tried not to fumble as she pulled on first the black under shirt that covered her from her wrists up to the hollow at her neck. Over that went a wrap-around shirt of silver with blue owls around the edge. A dark blue obi-like tie tied it closed around her waist. Her personal shukusen of gray, silver, and blue she tucked into the tie; her black Eastern style breeches covered knee-high stockings and showed her black slipper-like shoes.

Keladry picked up her glaive that was leaning against the wall. She took a deep breath and walked into view of her 2 most trustworthy—and only—friends. They both gasped in shock and awe. She gulped as Yuki stood and walked around her in a circle. The shorter woman opened her own fan and nodded approval. The Princess watched as the maids and Kel helped Yuki into a pink kimono.

20 minutes later all 3 were ready to go (resorting to threatening and tying down, Kel had some face paint on) and about to disembark.

* * *

Domitan of Masbolle, former sergeant of a squad in Third Company of the King's Own, now Captain of said company, tried to calm his horse. A flock of birds had just decided to leave their droppings all over a certain squad…presumably in lieu of yesterday's prank on the Queen's Riders…who just happened to have the Wildmage with them. Dom cursed himself for forgetting such an important fact. He sat up straighter in the saddle next to Lord Raoul as horns sounded announcing the arrival—or more correctly, disembarkment—of the Princess Shinkokami of Yamani and her escort. His company had been chosen, along with 5 Queen Rider's groups, to increase the security of Tortall's future queen. He glanced to his left where the royal party (including Prince Roald and a certain cousin by the name of Meathead) was waiting.

The Yamani's would come down and mount on their horses and join the royal party for part of the way back. The Queen's Riders would be the flanks and rear guards while the King's Own would be the scouts and would be littered throughout the riding party. Dom had heard that among the party was a female warrior, who would be here permanently. He had hopes, and none too temporary as the King had recently passed a law allowing senior officers—Dom included—to marry. He shifted over in his saddle to whisper in Raoul's ear.

"Raoul, how're things going with Buri?" He wasn't quick enough to avoid being clipped over the head. His men laughed as he let his horse prance away. Practically the entire kingdom knew that the short feisty commander of the Queen's Riders and gigantic peaceful commander of the King's Own were attracted to each other—except for themselves.

Horns sounded and the gangplank was lowered from the Yamani ship. Dom gave his men another glance over before looking at the group of people descending. There were about 20 dressed in dull kimonos and robes: he assumed they were servants and guards. There were about 7 obvious lord and ladies, and then the princess appeared. He surged his horse forward with Raoul's to greet them with the Royal party. They dismounted and introductions were made. Dom saw the Mindelan's grow excited and wondered why. They stood in the ground between the two groups of Royals.

"Those from the Yamani Islands, please know that our king extends his sincerest welcome for your safe arrival here in Tortall. This is His Highness, Prince Roald of Tortall…" Lord Piers of Mindelan went on forever before finally having finished introducing the Tortallan party, including Dom.

Lady Ilane of Mindelan proceeded to introduce the Yamani party. Dom watched eagerly and matched each name he heard with person who either bowed or curtsied.

"Her Highness, Princess Shinkokami of the Yamani Islands." The pretty girl in the nature colored kimono curtsied slightly. "Lady Yukimi noh Dahrou, escort to the Princess." The shorter, pretty girl curtsied. Dom could see that his cousin meathead was drooling over her already. He resisted the urge to grin as the last member of the party was introduced. Over a black Tortallan shirt was a kimono-like tunic-length silver shirt with blue owls. _Strange,_ he thought,_ those are the Mindelan colors…_

"And Her Highness's guard, my daughter, Keladry of Mindelan." Dom was shocked. The tall woman (a few inches shorter than him, still) had shoulder length brown hair pulled back and hazel eyes that were surrounded by dreamy eyelashes. Dom felt as if the world was gone and it was only he and Keldary. She seemed to be unable to take her eyes off of him as well, and he smirked. A slight pinkness raised in her cheeks as she bowed to the party there.

* * *

Kel tried to control her Yamani mask as she stood from bowing. Her heart was still racing from the moment she had with the blue eyed man. Her thoughts were racing as they were each given a horse. _Papa introduced him as…oh, that's right! Caption of Third Company of the King's Own, Domitan of Masbolle! Hmm, he must be a younger son to not be a knight…but those eyes!_ A hostler walked nervously over to her. She walked a few feet with him. He wrung his hands and began babbling.

"Miladyforgivemebutyourparent shadsaidyouwouldn'tmindbut—" Kel held up a hand. She leant forward a little and put a hand on the sweating man's shoulder.

"It's alright, whatever it is. Calm down, and tell me what it is my parents said I wouldn't mind?" He took a few breaths before continuing.

"Well, milady, you see, there's this here horse: he's not the nicest one in the stables, and the wild mage was worried about him. When milord and lady Mindelan came to check on the horses and Stefan—he's the head holster at the palace—explained the situation, they said to give him to you. I should warn you, if it wasn't for one of the pages a few years back he woulda been a goner before now."

Kel sighed inwardly. Her parents knew very well how soft hearted she was, and how she couldn't turn down anyone in need. She checked to make sure that her charges were fine for the moment (kimonos take an awful long time to mount a horse in) and then followed him. They reached the place where all the horses were, and headed towards a horse picketed on his own a little ways away. He was a strawberry roan gelding, and warily eyed her. Kel immediately knew he had not had good experiences with past masters. He was already saddled, for which she was grateful. Before running off to his other duties the hostler told her the horse's name was Peachblossom.

"Well, Peachblossom, my name is Keladry. I'll be riding you back to the palace, is that alright by you?" His ears flicked back and forth before he turned around and began chewing on the grass again. Having left her glaive with a servant she was free to put both hands on her hips. Kel walked around to where his head was and grabbed his reins. He snapped at her and only her reflexes saved her from getting bitten.

She would have sworn that had the horse eyebrows, he would have raised them when she simply grabbed the bridle and reins again, and mounted him. Kel was satisfied and with one jerk the rope that had kept Peachblossom tied up came undone. They hadn't even moved a few feet before the gelding began to buck. Kel cursed in Yaman as she attempted to keep her seat. She forgot that her clothing was nicer than normal and so wasn't perturbed when she got thrown. What did bother her was that as she tried to get breath back in her lungs a few people could be heard laughing. A face appeared in her swimming vision and a calloused hand was offered.

Kel accepted it, and sat up before. A green light appeared around the hand and she felt the coolness offered by a healers touch. She smiled gratefully as the person helped her stand. When Keladry's sight was back to normal, she saw that it was, what was his name? That's right, Nealan of Queenscove. She shook his hand.

"Thank you, Sir Nealan." He shook his head.

"No thanks needed, and it's Neal." Kel smiled at him. He had green eyes and blonde hair. He was undoubtedly handsome, and Kel felt a sort of connection with him—not a romantic one, mind you, but a friendly one. He grinned and Kel returned the grin as he introduced her to his companions.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey! Sorry it's taken so long to update. I did this at 10:30 last night...and found myself re-ecited by this. So enjoy! Don't be afriad to review! Btw, thank you to:**

**ScootyJenkins: thank you and I will!**

**Guest (idk who you are): thank you, I am trying to keep the plot going...**

**sokkr-rox: i'm glad you like how it's going, thanks!**

**LittleWildFlower: they're tied for top cannon i love/ship with a few others**

There were the red-headed ones, Merric of Hollyrose and Cleon of Kent (who was married); a few others, and Domitan of Masbolle, the blue-eyed man who had held her attention. She tried not to groan in embarrassment. Neal looked at her and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, another page had him and he never liked even that poor lad. I got hurts from the beast even though my horse was stabled on the other side of the stables!" Kel couldn't help but smile at that. She smiled gratefully down at him. It was a bit disconcerting to be only a little taller than him. In the Yamani Islands Keladry was used to being taller than everyone, but here more men were almost her height. Heck, Cleon made her feel smaller than she had been since a child!

"I hope you also realize that Meathead here also likes to get in trouble whether it be with beast, human, or immortal." Domitan said. Kel felt herself attracted to him, what with his handsome face and obviously fun personality. She reminded herself not to judge too quickly.

"Meathead?" Kel questioned. A few of the others snickered, and Neal glared pointedly at the sergeant.

"Dom there is my cousin, and it's Sir Meathead to you!" They all laughed openly at that. Neal took his shoulder off of Kel and gestured for his friends to come closer. He had noticed she looked relieved at his friendly and unassuming manner. Kel gave him what would have been an excessive show of gratitude in the Yamani Islands, but in Tortall bordered on rude. Neal simply ignored it and struck up a new conversation.

"So, Keladry, what is it like in the Yamani Islands? Care to tell us about the pretty little lady who stayed with the princess?" Kel grinned at her new friend.

"It's Kel to my friends. It's quite different in the Yamani Islands—protocol especially. If you bow wrong to the emperor you can be executed, but that hasn't happened in a few years. The princess's lady also happens to be one of my closest friends. Yukimi, or just Yuki." The men's faces were interesting to watch as she spoke. Their open smiles at her nick name, the expressions of horror at her mentioning bowing, and glee again at the mention of Yuki. Except for Domitan, or Dom as Neal had referred to him. He seemed more interested in Kel herself. Grateful for what she had dubbed her "Yamani Mask" she tried not to look overwhelmed at the barrage of questions stemming from her new friends.

"Someone was executed for a bow?!"

"What happens when you do something worse?"

"How old is Yuki? Is she single?"

"Are you glad to be back in Tortall, Kel?"

The last question would have made her blush if not for years of practice in the Yamani Islands. It had come from Dom, and was spoken so tenderly that there seemed to be a bit more endearment in it than the others. She put a finger to her lips, and tapped it as she thought. Kel did not keep them waiting long.

"Well, the man and his whole family were beheaded but that was because he gave the wrong bow—there are different ones depending on the amount of respect you are to give the person you are bowing to. He didn't give enough. Other things have happened with similar or worse punishments yes, but don't ask me what. I didn't pay attention all that much in history class. Yuki is not a girl to mess with." Kel warned. The playful twinkle in her eyes alerted Neal to her teasing but not so the others.

"Lady Yukimi is very skilled with the shukusen. Also, her family is a powerful one in the Yamani Islands, else she would not be a permanent member of the party." The wistful looks on the men's (boys, Kel thought) faces were enough to make her laugh. She did and they all continued trading information and questions until some servants came to fetch them. Dom stayed behind, and walked with Kel to grab Peachblossom's reins. Strange enough, the gelding had stood there munching grass while seemingly listening in on their conversation.

But that's silly, Kel told herself, he wouldn't understand us. Dom helped her and sooner rather than later he was holding the reins for her as she mounted the obstinate horse. He didn't let go even when he handed them to Kel. She stared down into his blue eyes, somewhat mesmerized.

Dom found that he was enamored with the hazel swirls of this mysterious new addition to his life. He cleared his throat and coughed looking away. When Dom looked back at her face he saw a slight pink that faded soon. It made him grin.

"Kel, you never answered my question." Said lady smiled softly at him, one of the first true displays of emotion that she had shown that day. Dom found himself very lucky, for the little bit of Yamani etiquette that he had studied had stressed the hiding of emotions at all times.

"Well, I know that I have mixed feelings, certainly. It is my home country, no matter what. I know more Tortall history than Yamani, as I felt obligated to study it. I am still nervous, and more than a little apprehensive. Though, that has lessened some as I have found plenty of friends to spend time with…and people I can trust."

Dom could not keep the grin off of his face and let her ride away. Peachblossom did not cause any more problems and walked swiftly back to his men. When he mounted his horse and they had moved out, the newly made Captain let his thoughts run wild. Lady Keladry of Mindelan, or Yamani, was certainly a character. She wasn't unattractive, and if she was the princess's guard, she would not be like one of the dainty women of court or like one of his little flings. No, the young woman was much too interesting to pass up an opportunity to get to know her at the least.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello! I guess you guys liked the previous chapter, so here's the next one! A few more weeks till spring break! At least in Texas…anyway… Also, I got braces!**

**AngelBaby1991: thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it, and I will try J**

**Song of the Knight: I'll try to update faster XP thank you, I won't let you down!**

**Enjoy! Remember, the characters do not belong to me…or else Kel and Dom would be officially cannon…**

The trek from Port Legann to Corus was long enough Keladry to relearn her Tortallan words and to know who was worth spending time with. Her hero, the Sir Alanna of Pirates Swoop was very different from what the young Mindelan had dreamt of as a girl. This lady knight, her inspiration for so many years, was unbelievably short (though that may have been simply because Kel was tall), had a quick temper, wicked humor, and cursed like a sailor for all she got sick at sea. Lord Raoul, one of the few men taller than herself, loved to joke and was very kind. Kel found herself spreading her time between the Yamani Islanders as a translator and companion, and the Tortallan knights who had befriended her, and occasionally the King's Own. The men there liked her, and after she had broken the ice by telling the story of when she had been training and was scared onto her backside by a cat, they all got along fine.

Peachblossom was another story. Kel found herself treating horse like she would the children back ho—no, back on the Yamani Islands. The young guard was finding it hard to remind herself that her home was now—and had always been—Tortall, even if she had spent infinitely more time on the Islands than where she was now. The sights were unfamiliar for all that she had spent her first few years living in the Eastern Lands. Her new friends enjoyed pointing things out to her when she rode with them, especially Neal and Dom. Neal tended to ask more questions about Yuki than anything. Dom (he insisted she call him that, and in return she asked him to refer to her as Kel) liked to make fun of Neal and his so-called poetry Kel soon learned to tune out.

They were riding one day when Roald approached Keladry. She hadn't spoken much with the crown prince but was impressed with what she saw of him. She smiled at him and waited for him to speak—if he didn't want to talk Kel wasn't about to protest.

"Keladry," he started. She immediately shook her head.

"It's Kel." He smiled gratefully at her. She noticed that although he was good looking he didn't have the blue eyes she found herself liking…blue eyes like Do—she didn't let herself finish that thought.

"Kel, I was wondering if you could tell me about Shinkokami. I don't know much about the application of their culture, and I don't want to pressure her into doing acting some way contrary to the way she's been raised." _So that's why he's been dancing circles around her_, Kel mused. She wasn't the only one to notice how awkward things tended to be between the two members of royalty…which was why Kel wasn't too surprised when she found Neal and Dom, along with Merric riding alongside her. It made Kel's heart flutter to notice that Dom had pushed to be riding next to her and Merric on his other side. Neal simply brought his horse on Roald's other side and the poor thing was surrounded.

* * *

Dom grinned at Kel, who slowly returned the expression. He didn't feel any insult at the speed which she did so—he understood that showing emotion like they did in Tortall was completely the opposite of what she had learned on the Yamani Islands. He had only followed his dear cousin to give the prince a hard time about his betrothed…or so the young captain continuously told himself. He couldn't keep her hazel eyes, and mouse brown hair, and tall form out of his head. Dom hadn't really been seriously into any women despite the rumors and many, ahem, escapades, he had had. In the King's Own, as a sergeant, there had been no possibility to marry or truly have a serious relationship for many reasons. First was the rule about marrying, second was the constant possibility of death or maiming in his line of work. Third was that the woman he had spent time with never truly understood fighting.

The fact that this Keladry of Mindelan, and honorably of Yamani, was the princess's personal guard and companion gave the blue-eyed younger son ideas concerning her understanding of his predicament. He was jostled out of his thoughts by her laughter. They all stared at her with open mouths. This stranger who had so soon joined their ranks had never laughed before. It slowly died into chuckles, and Dom felt his own mouth turn upwards at the corners into a grin. She looked around at them all and blushed (but not until she had seen him, Dom told himself).

* * *

"What are you all staring at?" Dom jumped. His commander, Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, had ridden up behind them without any of them noticing. _So much for being seasoned warriors_, Dom thought wryly.

"Well it seems that this magnificent specimen of femininity and fighting," this made them all laugh for none had actually seen her fight yet, and she was about as feminine as the Lioness…a scary thought, "graced us with her laughter. It was a wondrous thing!" Neal said in his normal poetic manner. It brought a grin to Raoul's face. Kel turned a bit redder.

"That must have been a sight to see! I'm sorry for the intrusion though, for as much as I'd liked to have interrupted you all for my own intents and purposes it seems that your services are needed. A small group of bandits have been reported a few miles west of here and I have deemed you lot worthy." The men gave a mixture of groans and sighs of regret. Before they could leave Kel spoke up.

"Sir Raoul." He raised a hand to stop her.

"It's just Raoul Kel—we've been over this." She smiled ruefully.

"Yes si—Raoul. May I come with you all? I haven't gotten in any fighting or even practice since the ship." Raoul's eyebrows went up. He didn't know if she would slow them down but then he thought of his own lover Buri and her charge (the queen) and his close friend Alanna. He shrugged.

"Why not. Be back before dark all of you!" He had to yell after them. They had begun galloping off as soon as he had given his consent. He chuckled and shook his head before returning to his spot next to the king. Jon looked over at him with one eyebrow arched regally.

"And what, may I ask, was that all about?" Raoul shrugged.

"I let Keladry go with them to snuff out some bandits." Jon shook his head chuckling. Queen Thayet from the other side leant forward to speak to Raoul.

"Did Roald go with them?" When Raoul nodded she breathed out a puff of air. Buri, riding one of her K'mir ponies on the other side of Thayet, snorted. The group of friends conversed as they continued riding. Raoul's mind was only partially focused on the conversation—he was wondering how well this stranger amongst them would do with boys he had helped train occasionally, and whether or not she may consider riding with the King's Own after the marriage and her services were no longer needed.

**A/N: Hope you guys liked it! I know it's kinda short but I like it more this way—makes it easier to update faster because I have less pressure to do twice as much in the same time frame…anyway! Leave a review, and if you have any preferences or something of the like don't be afraid to let me know. Have a great day!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: OH MY GOODNESS! I actually looked at the followers/favorites and there are 56 followers and 16 favorites! Thank you all so much! And yeah, I guess that was a pretty amazing chapter XD so anyway! Here goes the next one!**

**Remember…I don't own the characters or places…simply the scenarios…**

**Angelbaby1991: I'm glad you loved it!**

**Fluffybluepenguins: btw—I absolutely ADORE your username…you'll find out if she does or not ****J**

**Song of The Knight: thank you so much for your kind words! I hope this next one is up to par…**

**GingerHannah: Idk if I'm gonna have Joren, to be honest, that's a good idea…I may just incorporate it XD**

**Oreathyia: I'm glad you liked chapter 1**

The feel of Peachblossom's hooves thundering along on the ground beneath her made Kel feel like she was riding an avalanche…or at least a small one. The wind ruffled her hair, which she had kept chin-length. She felt the urge to grin but her years in Yamani made her face barely twitch. The group rode for a few minutes across the plain and into a groves of trees before slowing down. They all looked towards Dom for orders. He dismounted and gestured for everyone to follow him. Kel wasn't sure whether to leave her glaive in the saddle or not so she just shrugged and kept her sword in its sheath, and left the other weapons behind. The group of them all stood in a circle around the black haired and blue eyed man, who was crouched down. Dom began speaking, and he drew a small map in the ground as he did.

"So the bandits that his Lordship has sent us after have been raiding the smaller villages in this area for quite a while. It's a small group, maybe 15 of them at the most. All we know is that they were spotted somewhere in this area." At that he pointed to one area of the crude map he had just drawn. "Any ideas on how we should go about this?" Dom looked around the circle. Neal stared at his cousin in slight confusion. _Dom's our leader; he doesn't need to ask us, he's a captain in the Kings Own for Mithros sake! Why on earth would he ask us…could it be he's testing Kel?_ The healer and knight wondered. He turned his green eyes on their newest addition and watched as her impassive face stayed still even as her eyes examined the picture on the ground intensely. Kel squatted to get a better view of the map, and Neal observed as Dom's eyes followed her. Thoughts began tumbling through his head that had nothing to do with their current objective but with plans and pranks concerning his two best friends and his skill in match making.

"Could we split up, into 2 groups possibly? Faleron, Marek, Owen, and Cleon going this way, while Neal, Roald, Dom and I go this direction. That way if one group finds the bandits they have at least 1 person who can signal with a horn, and won't be too terribly outnumbered. Also, we should find them quick enough on horseback this way. Lord Raoul did say we have to be back by nightfall." Kel finished speaking and looked up. She hadn't realized how close to Dom she had gotten by crouching down. His face was a little under a foot away from hers, and his eyes bored into her own. Neither of them saw the looks exchanged by their companions as they were so absorbed in the close proximity they shared. Cleon felt a little bit of jealousy go through him, one he was immediately ashamed of and attributed to the sibling like relationship he had with the new comer. Neal raised an eyebrow and nudged Owen, who almost said something out loud. Marek stopped the youngest of them by quickly covering his mouth with a hand. Owen began to struggle until Neal gripped his upper arm and leaned in to whisper something.

The flurry of movement caught the attention of the two on the ground, who stood up faster than necessary, both flushing. Kel stumbled backwards a bit, and even as she tripped and began to fall Roald caught her. Outwardly Keladry thanked the prince and straightened her clothing. Inwardly, the woman was groaning and thinking about how even now she was clumsy. "Well, if there're no objections or better ideas, I say we go with it." Dom said. The group all mounted their horses and rode off in 2 different directions.

As Dom led his group in a fast canter his thoughts whirled…and were not focused on finding the bandits at all. When he had stood up he had almost fallen, but instead straightened his own clothing. Imagine his shock when he looked and saw that Kel was in Roald's arms and then copying his movements almost exactly. The momentary anger and rage at Kel being touched by someone else had shocked the man. Dom didn't notice when Kel kept glancing at him as they rode for he was so involved in his thoughts. He felt guilty and ashamed for the way he had reacted, even if no one knew how he had felt towards his friend. Neal watched both of them, and was uncharacteristically quiet. Only Roald noticed that anything was going on, and smiled, shaking his head. The prince did not protest the quiet and was content to leave his friends to their thoughts. Kel had answered quite a few of his questions concerning his bride so he had nothing to speak of with her. They continued the semi-fast past across the small cleared area they were in.

Everyone's attention was brought rushing back to the present when they heard the horn signal they had agreed upon beforehand that meant the other group had found the bandits. Kel was the fastest to react and soon was in the lead with Dom and Neal on either side of her, and Roald just behind them, following the sound of a horn being blown and the distant clashing of metal on metal. They reached the tree cover soon enough and had to slow down drastically. This time Dom led the way, and they moved single file along the path to another clearing up ahead, where they could see their friends fighting the bandits. None of the other group had seen them yet and so Marek blew his horn once more, only to be cut off by an attacking bandit swinging a large and curved sword.

They burst into the clearing and joined the fray. Adrenaline raced through Kel like it hadn't for a long time, and she lifted her glaive out of its holder on her saddle (she had taken it out while they were in the trees) and began to swing at the men below her. "Don't bother sparing them!" Dom shouted. Kel nodded in the affirmative and continued separating heads from bodies, and limbs and weapons from torsos. Dom kept in mind his side orders of watching how Kel did and was sitting in a brief moment of respite, observing how graceful her strokes and swings were, and how she didn't seem to be horrified by the battle. Before he knew a searing pain was in his upper left thigh, and he swung with his sword before looking. He missed, and saw that a grizzled bandit, better dressed than the rest of them, had a long pike and had speared him. Dom had unknowingly yelled with pain, attracting the attention of his comrades. Kel was closest and dispatched the man she was disarming before kicking Peachblossom over.

The leader who had gotten Dom turned to see Kel riding over to him and grinned. He turned his pike around so that the butt of it was facing the female warrior and stood waiting. Kel felt something like a battering ram and stick poke her in the ribs, and knew that some were broken even as she went flying out of her saddle. One of the few remaining bandits moved to attack her while she was down but Peachblossom hit him in the head with flying front hooves, downing the man before Neal or Cleon could even move. Kel slowly stood, leaning heavily on her glaive as she did so. Dom was bent over his leg, watching, as was the rest of their group. All of them could move in to help at any time, but even Kel knew that going with them was a test and stood up as straight as she could. The last bandit, the leader, ignored the other fights and ran forward with his pike. He thrust it out and roared as he charged.

That had always struck fear into the hearts of whoever was challenging him before. But this woman was different, and Kel stood in a crouched position calmly waiting for him. Her face was empty, and her mind cold and sharp and ready. His pike passed the blade of her glaive and like lightning she whipped it in a small circle to cut the wood in half. She continued the motion and made a jab towards where his heart was but he moved the rest of his weapon up to block it. It got cut in half but stopped the glaive from killing him. In a gesture that didn't seem to belong to a poor bandit he drew his sword and made a hacking motion towards Kel. She slanted her glaive and used its staff to block the sword. It made only a small indention and her eyes lit up, and small smile appeared on her face. The bandit felt a cold fear fill his veins and made to attack her again.

This time, instead of blocking it, Kel deflected it by swinging the glaive around and spinning so that the butt of her weapon hit him on the head. Either the man was hard headed or she hadn't put enough force behind it, but he just stumbled and didn't fall down. Kel twisted her glaive in an uncommon and only occasionally used move and spun it so that the blade once more faced the man. As she made a series of lightning fast moves and jabs, he was put on the defensive and his parries grew more and more weak and more and more hurried. Kel knew she was toying with him and decided to end it quickly so that they could return to the rest of the Progress. She made one lunge stronger and faster than the rest. The blade of her glaive broke his sword and went straight through his chest. He looked down in shock before falling off her blade and to the ground, dead.

Kel stood up straight with a deep breath, only to double over in pain at her broken ribs. Marek and Faleron were sitting tiredly in their saddles, and shared a grin. Both Own and Cleon dismounted and ran over to help her. Peachblossom practically skipped to meet them, and tossed his head and neighed. Kel grinned at her friends, and glanced over at Dom. Neal was on the ground and standing next to his cousin. She immediately felt guilty: she hadn't even noticed that the handsome man with blue eyes had gotten injured. They shared a look, and when Dom smiled and nodded at her, a happiness and pride filled Kel that she hadn't felt in years…since the first time Shang and her had fought, all that time ago, and she had bested him.


End file.
